Latest news with #IairHorn
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands of Israelis demonstrate for new hostage deal
Thousands of Israelis staged renewed protests across the country on Saturday in favour of a new deal with Hamas for the release of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli media, several thousand people attended a number of rallies in just the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Some protests were explicitly directed against the right-wing government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The organizers of one rally spoke of tens of thousands of participants. Iair Horn, who was released from captivity in Gaza in mid-February, criticized the renewed military operations in the coastal territory in a speech. The fighting endangered all hostages, Horn said: "I was there, I heard tanks pass overhead, I walked through tunnels during the bombardments." He also demanded the release of all persons still being held by Hamas, including his younger brother. Footage from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum showed several former captives in the crowd at the protest in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square. There were also demonstrations in other places in the country, including Haifa and Jerusalem, in favour of a Gaza agreement with Hamas. According to media reports, more than 100,000 people gathered throughout Israel last Saturday for demonstrations, some of which were critical of the government. Further large protests took place over the course of the week, particularly in Jerusalem. Israel's leadership is currently pushing ahead with another controversial reorganization of the country's judiciary, angering many Israelis in the process.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas to release 6 more hostages, bodies of 4 others
Hamas will release six more hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four deceased hostages on Thursday, Hamas and Israel confirmed. Four more dead hostages are expected to be released next week in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, according to Israel. Last week, Hamas threatened to not release hostages over the weekend, saying Israel was not holding up its end of the ceasefire by delaying the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza, targeting them with gunfire and slowing down aid and said the hostage-prisoner exchange would be postponed. Hamas later said the exchange will take place as planned and released three hostages on Saturday. The three hostages freed from captivity were U.S. national Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn and Sasha Troufanov, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. In exchange for Hamas releasing three more Israeli hostages, Israel freed another 369 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, most of whom were arrested in the Gaza Strip after the terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023. President Donald Trump had issued a deadline last week, telling Hamas to release all remaining hostages by Saturday or he would leave it up to Israel to decide whether to violate the ceasefire and continue fighting. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Hamas to release 6 more hostages, bodies of 4 others originally appeared on
The National
16-02-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel blocks entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment into Gaza after hostage release
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Israeli military checkpoints have blocked the entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, defying its commitments under the ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to the Gaza government media office on Sunday. Lorries carrying caravans, along with bulldozers and road rollers needed for removing the rubble and paving the way for possible reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged enclave, have been parked outside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for nearly two weeks awaiting Israeli permission to enter, border officials told The National on Sunday morning. Though hundreds of aid lorries have been entering Gaza daily – despite several rounds of searches and inspections at several Egyptian and Israeli checkpoints – the entry of supplies for shelter, including tents and mobile homes, have been blocked since the ceasefire took effect, a source from the Egyptian Red Crescent also confirmed. Despite talks in Cairo on Wednesday between Hamas, Egyptian and Qatari officials, which gave the green light for the aid to pass, according to a Hamas spokesman on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not approve the entry of caravans and heavy equipment during recent security consultations, according to a report by Israeli state broadcaster KAN. The 15-month war in Gaza claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Palestinians since Israel launched a brutal military campaign on the enclave on October 7, 2023. The fragile ceasefire in place for about a month has been breached several times by Israeli troops, according to Palestinian rights groups. 'The occupation's announcement of refusing to allow mobile homes and heavy equipment is a clear evasion of its commitments and obligations that it signed under the ceasefire agreement and the attached humanitarian protocol,' the Gaza government media office said. 'It is tantamount to an explicit declaration of its failure to comply with the agreement. 'The catastrophic living conditions that our people in Gaza are experiencing as a result of the war of extermination and the humanitarian suffering they are enduring cannot tolerate stalling, procrastination, or evasion of the entry of all shelter supplies and other necessities,' it added. Israel and Hamas completed their sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, with just more than two weeks remaining in the initial phase of their fragile Gaza ceasefire. Three Israeli hostages – Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, 46; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29 – were freed by Hamas militants in the southern city of Khan Younis. In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian detainees, including 36 serving life sentences. The exchange comes as tension in Israel remain high, with Mr Netanyahu's far-right allies pushing for the war to resume in early March with the goal of destroying Hamas, while many Israelis urge the government to secure the release of all remaining hostages before time runs out. Mr Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for his leadership and firm stance that helped secure the release of the three Israeli hostages from Gaza. 'The combination of the reinforcement of IDF forces around the Gaza Strip and President Trump's firm stance led to the release of three of our hostages today – despite Hamas's earlier refusal to release them,' Mr Netanyahu said. Mr Netanyahu also expressed appreciation for Mr Trump's 'full support for Israel's decisions regarding the Gaza Strip going forward'. As the US takes a hardline pro-Israel position on Gaza, the enclave's government office called on mediators and the international community to 'stand up to their responsibilities and respond immediately to the priorities that the Gaza Strip needs, and put an end to this ongoing suffering, by pressuring the occupation and obliging it to refrain from reneging on its commitments'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel where he was set to meet officials on Sunday. The visit marked the beginning of his first trip to the region. The blocked aid comes amid recent statements by Mr Trump, who has proposed plans for a US takeover of Gaza and turn it into a 'riviera of the Middle East', while ethnically cleansing the enclave of Palestinians and pushing for Egypt and Jordan to absorb the displaced population. Egypt is seeking to convene an Islamic summit to broaden opposition to Mr Trump's Gaza proposals, while the Arab League is pushing for a reconstruction conference in Cairo to help rebuild the war-torn enclave. It is expected to lay out its own Arab-led reconstruction plan for Gaza. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with the population struggling to access basic necessities and shelter, the international community faces mounting pressure to ensure Israel upholds its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and allows the unimpeded entry of vital aid.
The National
16-02-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel blocks entry of mobile homes and construction equipment into Gaza after hostage release
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza Israeli military checkpoints have blocked the entry of mobile homes and heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, defying its commitments under the ceasefire deal with Hamas, according to the Gaza government media office on Sunday. Lorries carrying caravans, along with bulldozers and road rollers needed for reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged enclave, have been parked outside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for nearly two weeks awaiting Israeli permission to enter, border officials told The National on Sunday morning. Though hundreds of aid lorries have been entering Gaza daily – despite several rounds of searches and inspections at several Egyptian and Israeli checkpoints – the entry of supplies for shelter, including tents and mobile homes, have been blocked since the ceasefire took effect, a source from the Egyptian Red Crescent also confirmed. Despite talks in Cairo on Wednesday between Hamas, Egyptian and Qatari officials, which gave the green light for the aid to pass, according to a Hamas spokesman on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not approve the entry of caravans and heavy equipment during recent security consultations, according to a report by Israeli state broadcaster KAN. The 15-month war in Gaza claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Palestinians since Israel launched a brutal military campaign on the enclave on October 7, 2023. The fragile ceasefire in place for about a month has been breached several times by Israeli troops, according to Palestinian rights groups. 'The occupation's announcement of refusing to allow mobile homes and heavy equipment is a clear evasion of its commitments and obligations that it signed under the ceasefire agreement and the attached humanitarian protocol,' the Gaza government media office said. 'It is tantamount to an explicit declaration of its failure to comply with the agreement. 'The catastrophic living conditions that our people in Gaza are experiencing as a result of the war of extermination and the humanitarian suffering they are enduring cannot tolerate stalling, procrastination, or evasion of the entry of all shelter supplies and other necessities,' it added. Israel and Hamas completed their sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, with just more than two weeks remaining in the initial phase of their fragile Gaza ceasefire. Three Israeli hostages – Argentinian-Israeli Iair Horn, 46; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli Alexander Troufanov, 29 – were freed by Hamas militants in the southern city of Khan Younis. In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian detainees, including 36 serving life sentences. The exchange comes as tension in Israel remain high, with Mr Netanyahu's far-right allies pushing for the war to resume in early March with the goal of destroying Hamas, while many Israelis urge the government to secure the release of all remaining hostages before time runs out. Mr Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for his leadership and firm stance that helped secure the release of the three Israeli hostages from Gaza earlier in the day. 'The combination of the reinforcement of IDF forces around the Gaza Strip and President Trump's firm stance led to the release of three of our hostages today – despite Hamas's earlier refusal to release them,' Mr Netanyahu said. Mr Netanyahu also expressed appreciation for Mr Trump's 'full support for Israel's decisions regarding the Gaza Strip going forward'. As the US takes a hardline pro-Israel position on Gaza, the enclave's government office called on mediators and the international community to 'stand up to their responsibilities and respond immediately to the priorities that the Gaza Strip needs, and put an end to this ongoing suffering, by pressuring the occupation and obliging it to refrain from reneging on its commitments'. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel where he was set to meet officials on Sunday. The visit marked the beginning of his first trip to the region. The blocked aid comes amid recent statements by Mr Trump, who has proposed plans for a US takeover of Gaza and turn it into a 'riviera of the Middle East', while ethnically cleansing the enclave of Palestinians and pushing for Egypt and Jordan to absorb the displaced population. Egypt has called for an Islamic summit to broaden opposition to Mr Trump's Gaza proposals, while the Arab League is pushing for a reconstruction conference in Cairo to help rebuild the war-torn enclave. It is expected to lay out its own Arab-led reconstruction plan for Gaza. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, with millions struggling to access basic necessities and shelter, the international community faces mounting pressure to ensure Israel upholds its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and allows the unimpeded entry of vital aid.
Observer
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Gaza truce marks new swap
RAMALLAH: Hamas released Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov in Gaza on Saturday and Israel freed some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, after mediators helped avert a collapse of the fragile ceasefire. The three Israelis were led onto a stage with Palestinian Hamas fighters armed with automatic rifles standing on each side of them at the site in Khan Younis, live footage showed, before they were taken back into Israel by Israeli forces. Shortly afterwards, buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees departed Israel's Ofer jail in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The first bus arrived in Ramallah to a cheering crowd, some waving Palestinian flags. Buses carrying some of the hundreds of Palestinian freed prisoners and detainees, some flashing victory signs as they hung from the windows, arrived later at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. — Reuters
